An incoming Harvard freshman had his visa revoked by immigration officials at Boston Logan Airport and says he was deported over to social media posts made by his friends.
Ismail Ajjawi, Palestinian 17-year-old who lives in Lebanon, told The Harvard Crimson that he was questioned by immigration officials about his religion at the airport.
Ajjawi said he gave the officials his laptop and phone and, five hours later, "she called me into a room, and she started screaming at me. She said that she found people posting political points of view that oppose the U.S. on my friend list."
Ajjwai said he explained that he never made any political posts.
"I responded that I have no business with such posts and that I didn't like, [s]hare or comment on them and told her that I shouldn't be held responsible for what others post," he said.
Eight hours after landing, Ajjwai’s visa was revoked and he was sent back to Lebanon.
CBP confirms Ajjwai was ‘deemed inadmissible’:
Customs and Border Protection confirmed to CBS News that the teen was "deemed inadmissible" by an officer.
"Applicants must demonstrate they are admissible into the U.S. by overcoming all grounds of inadmissibility including health-related grounds, criminality, security reasons, public charge, labor certification, illegal entrants and immigration violations, documentation requirements, and miscellaneous grounds," CBP said in a statement.
Harvard still hopes Ajjwai will attend classes:
"The University is working closely with the student's family and appropriate authorities to resolve this matter so that he can join his classmates in the coming days," a spokesperson for Harvard told CBS News.
The spokesperson added that Harvard University President Lawrence Bacow wrote a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last month expressing his "deep concern over growing uncertainty and anxiety around issues involving international students and scholars."
